Stitching the Night Away

Most evenings you will find me on the couch, hand-quilting the night away. Once my needle hits the fabric, all the stress and tension of the day just seems to melt away. Here is the latest block of Sue Garman’s “Bouquets For A New Day”. So, now I have 6 blocks quilted, and 6 more to go…oh… and a border. (Heavy Sigh)

I have started working on the next block of Civil War Bride. It can be tricky to figure out what order to place the stems on the background. If the raw edge of “Stem A” is going to be covered with “Stem B”, then “Stem A” needs to be glued in place first. (It’s easier than it sounds!!)

First, I put a few dabs of glue along the traced line, rather than putting glue on the actual stems. This will be “Stem A”. You can see that this stem will be covered by another stem.

Next, I carefully placed the stem on the line. Because the stems are cut on the bias, they are easy to curve along the line.

Then, I used the line that the next bias strip will be placed on as a guide to trim the stem to the correct length. I have added a few dabs of glue to hold the next stem in place.

Now, another stem is in place….This is also a “Stem A”.

And, finally, the longer stem that covers these shorter stems is glued in place. This is “Stem B”.

So…here are a bunch of “Stem A’s”, waiting to be covered by one long “Stem B”.

And, finally…all the stems are in place!

I thought this block needed a really special vase! So I fussy-cut this fabric…

Oooohhhh, aaaahhhh! So beautiful! I can’t believe you are finishing this quilt so quickly! It looks wonderful. As I see the quilting and sashes in the picture it made me think of a presentation I saw last year at our quilt show. Marsha Radke showed how she quilts one block at a time, then puts the quilt together afterwards. This quilt would have been perfect for that. Maybe I can give that quilting technique a try on this quilt if I ever get around to trying it. The key was 1/2 finished sashings. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Missy! I actually thought of using the Quilt As You Go method to quilt Friends of Baltimore, but I just don’t know enough about it. Maybe I’ll research the method and do my next quilt that way.
Kerry

I just joined and your work is so beautiful. Could you please explain the marking on the background fabric? It looks like you have marked with a blue fabric pen and then glued
some pieces down. Do you use freezer paper and starch it down ? Thank you.
Linda

Hi Linda: I usually mark my backgrounds with a blue water soluble marker made by Clover. I prefer the thick marker. I prep my pieces using the freezer paper and
starch method. Once the pieces are prepped, I glue them in place. It is a great method. Very easy and very portable!!

Hi Kerry,
I was directed here by another member of my hand piecing and applique Yahoo group. I am so happy to have found your blog! I’ve been appliqueing for over 10 years, but have yet to find a method that works for me all the time. I wa going to use the mylar and starch method, but cutting out templates for one time use can get expensive. How do you press the fabric so that the edge of the freezer paper doesn’t fold? What temperature do you have your iron? Don’t your glued on pieces ever come off?
Sorry to be asking so many questions but I’m really interested in this method. Your work is so exquisite, it’s breathtaking!!

I was directed here by another member of my hand piecing and applique Yahoo group. I am so happy to have found your blog! I’ve been appliqueing for over 10 years, but have yet to find a method that works for me all the time. I wa going to use the mylar and starch method, but cutting out templates for one time use can get expensive. How do you press the fabric so that the edge of the freezer paper doesn’t fold? What temperature do you have your iron? Don’t your glued on pieces ever come off?

Sorry to be asking so many questions but I’m really interested in this method. Your work is so exquisite, it’s breathtaking!!

Hi Eileen: Thank you! Never apologize for asking too many questions! That is how we learn! I’ll answer any questions you have. I started out using mylar for this method, but found it costly. I now use freezer paper. I use 2 layers of freezer paper to make the template a bit thicker. I can then re-use this template aout 6 times. Simply put 2 layers of freezer paper (both shiny side down) and iron them together with a really hot iron. I use a stiletto and a Prym-Dritz mini-iron to fold my seam allowances over the template. I also use spray starch or Best Press. I apply the starch with a paint brush and then iron it over. I have my mini-iron set at the hottest setting. Surprisingly, the glued pieces don’t seem to come off! Very soon I am going to describe the method I use in greater detail on my blog. Stay tuned!
Kerry

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I am a quilter who is passionate about Hand-Applique. If I inspire just one person, my job will be done!! I am thrilled to share my quilts with a (hopefully!) appreciative audience.....my family just rolls their eyes!
I live in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.